Meadow Pipit fest and Magpie migration

Heysham Obs
Sample counts were the order of the day today in what was a phenomenal movement:


Vis mig 'casually' to 0830, systematically from NHW 0830-1030, sample from HNR office 1030-1045, Tank farm and area 1145-1220
Meadow Pipit - c200, 1812 (906 per hour 0830-1030) , 58, 119 respectively, also 250 grounded Ocean Edge at 0845hrs.
All the rest of the counts 0830-1030 north harbour wall
alba Wagtail -  22
Linnet - 52
Siskin - min 18
Goldfinch - 8
Grey Wagtail - 1
Magpie - 1+1 in off the sea from SW then carrying on inland high!
Sand Martin - 7
Swallow - 1
Chaffinch - 1
Skylark - 1
Wheatear - all 9 recorded flew 'in-off' from the SW and carried on quickly moving through


Grounded north wall
Goldcrest - 2
Twite - at least 3, possibly more
Linnet - running total of 12
Grey Wagtail (not the vis bird) - definitely unringed


Heysham Head
Wheatear - 5
Chiffchaff - 2


Heysham NR grounded
Goldcrest - 20+
Chiffchaff - at least 6 migrants
Robin - at least 3 migrants


Ocean Edge
Wheatear - 7


Middleton NR
Scaup seen by visiting birders, thanks for this
Green Woodpecker - prob same bird on golf course, then Middleton later
Swallow - 5 late afternoon
Barn Owl - still

Ringing
This included 17 Goldcrest and 9 Chiffchaff - all the latter appeared to be males

Nice low vis in strong easterly

Heysham Obs
A bit of coverage prior to work


Vis mig office & north wall 0715-0930
Meadow Pipit - 841 NE
Siskin - 14 NE
alba Wagtail - 39 NE
Reed Bunting - 5 NE
Linnet - 1 NE
Goldfinch - min 18 NE
Carrion Crow - flock of 9 NE
Redwing - one descended from height on to the reserve
Greenfinch - absolute min 2 NE


Grounded
Twite - 8 on feeder
Linnet - at least 17 on feeder
Coal Tit - one passing through HNR
Stock Dove - one with three Woodpigeon HNR - flew towards golf course

Walked from OE to Harbour and back again 10:20 to 12:10 (Malcolm).

Steady Meadow pipit migration totalling 477 birds. Small low groups most between 3 & 7 with a couple up to 14.

Count peaked between 11 & 11:50 which accounted for 337 birds. However the peak might be attributed to location rather than time. This was the period between No 1 outflow, harbour & back. That said there were reasonable numbers coming over OE foreshore, but very few over the saltmash.

Also numbers must have been increasing 151 birds first leg, 326 on way back. 

 

Also:

11 wheatear - OE

2 guillemot - Harbour

2 adult kittiwake - Harbour

Afternoon at Middleton (Justine)

Highlighted by

Swallow - 1 (IOY)

Barn Owl - 1

Meadow Pipit by this stage mainly grounded, including parachuting birds

Lots of migration

Heysham Obs
...............but little time to cover it.  Thanks to Malcolm and Justine for Middleton and other coverage

North wall early on plus office area until 1015hrs
Meadow Pipit - at least 467 north 0800-1000 with at least 10 minutes not covered at all and 30 minutes only 'casually'.
Siskin - 7 NE
Redpoll spp - 1 NE
Sand Martin - 2 N (IOY)
alba Wagtail - 45 N
Goldfinch - 8 N and one unringed bird
Greenfinch - 4 unringed birds caught in very short single mist-net session
Chaffinch - 6 north and one unringed bird
Twite - 4 north out to sea as seen from the north wall, 7 around feeder
Linnet - 4 grounded briefly by HNR office, at least 19 around seed on nhw
Tree Sparrow - flock of 3 north-east
Wheatear - 2 on mound

Ocean Edge and area

6 wheatear (2 each mature male, 2cy male and female)

2 linnet (pair) appeared to have just come in (these were the only linnet I saw in full walk)

1 mute

4 RB merganser

6 ringed plover

2 Chiffchaff heard (one in Red Nab copse and one in scrub on east side).

 

Middleton Nature reserve

Mute Swan - nesting pair on fence pond, 3 fighting on boating pond and pair on Tim Butler

2 Moorhen

8 coot

5 gadwall

1 mallard

16 tufted duck

1 scaup

4 teal (2 x 2)

1 little grebe (fence pond)

1 common snipe

2 oystercatcher

2 pheasants

12 meadow pipit (max 3 together) - including 1 parachuting

8 chiffchaff (all heard)

6 greenfinch

1 bullfinch (m)

1 sand martin.

Displaying pair of Kestrel

PS - an Osprey probably flew north along the coast at about 1200hrs but remains unconfirmed

Twa owls

Heysham Obs
The first Short-eared Owl headed north over the bay into the stratosphere at 0720 and there was 'no way' according to the observer it was a the bird flying low over Heysham NR two hours later

Quite a few male Chiffchaff passing through this morning with 6 ringed, at least 8 singing on Middleton and ones and twos in obscure locations in the area subject to survey work today

The other feature was a huge flock of waders off Middleton, including 10,500 Knot.

Short-eared Owl
One appeared from the south over the wooden jetty then spiralled up and headed north over the bay until lost from sight at 0720hrs.  At 0900hrs, one appeared in low-level flight by HNR office and went behind trees and may have landed

Middleton NR
Scaup - 2CY male
Tufted Duck - 14
Mute Swan - the 6 imms have disappeared but 5 adults, including breeding pair seen
Where, however, are the Little Grebes, they seem to have seriously crashed on here along with Coot
Gadwall - 7
Skylark - 1

Heysham NR
Meadow Pipit - in the region of 240 0700-1000 heading north
alba Wagtail - 10+ north
Goldcrest - three unringed birds

Harbour
Singles of Ad Kittiwake and Guillemot

Feeder
Linnet - 19
Twite - 8

Near miss
One male Ring Ouzel just east of the recording area between the telecom tower road and Heysham Moss mid morning

White Stork highlight

Heysham Obs
At last I've seen a stork in the Lancaster & District BWS recording area (previous experiences very painful, especially Black - almost as bad as the Ross's Gull!), albeit rather distant views of one located by Jean Roberts coming in-off at the north harbour wall.  It did its best, behaviour-wise, to lessen the "unknown origin" caveat as it circled inland just south of Heysham Two power station (as seen from the NR office) and headed to the south-east over Middleton NR.  Quite a productive vis mig session for Jean on the north wall:


North harbour wall 0740-0930
White Stork - came in-off 0850, circled and flew 'behind' Heysham 2 power station where it was picked up distantly from the NR office area
Meadow Pipit - 157 north
Kittiwake - 10+20 in & ad still in harbour
alba Wagtail - 13 north
Siskin - 3
Reed Bunting - 2
Wheatear - one grounded
Common Gull - c35
Black-headed Gull - small movement into the bay with 49 'in'
Red-throated Diver - one in
Linnet - 23 on seed
Twite - 8 on seed


Heysham NR
Meadow Pipit - c100 N
Sparrowhawk - one north, chased by local male


Moths
First Chestnut and Early Thorn of the year

Wheatear at Ocean Edge.Apologies for poor quality of pics my Nikon is being cleaned at the moment.  Janet Packham

Blocking not dropping front?

Heysham Obs
A bit late this morning due to a coverage misunderstanding.  A single mist net was set about 0845 for a couple of hours pre-rain.  11 new (unringed) birds were caught including a female Bullfinch and a Robin. The only Wheatear seen today were two on Middleton late afternoon


Vis mig
None under the cloud cover


Grounded reserve area
Goldcrest - gang of 5 passed through whilst setting the net but only one further bird caught
Reed Bunting - 1
Chiffchaff - at least 3 (6 on Middleton)

Harbour
Guillemot - 2
Kittiwake - adult


North wall
8 each of Twite and Linnet


Middleton model boat pond
Scaup - 2CYmale still there
Teal - pair
Tufted Duck - 9
Mute Swan - 2 unringed ads & 6 juvs

Good coverage and a smattering of migrants

Heysham Obs
This was much better coverage than of late, other than Malcolm's efforts on especially Middleton, especially the 'necessary' early morning stuff!  Highlights were the first two Sandwich Tern of the year, a Green Sandpiper at a rarely checked nook (along with four Greylags - the first of the year!!) and a sizeable flock of Whoopers on the sea




Heysham Nature reserve 0700-0930
Goldcrest - at least 3
Chiffchaff - at least three passed through
Song Thrush - one migrant headed inland
Meadow Pipit - 145 north in about 2 hours 0715-0915
Skylark - one north
Carrion Crow - flock of 8 chased off back south by locals
Bullfinch - female high to north - odd?
Reed Bunting - one grounded
Gadwall - pair visited the obs tower pond
Mallard -3 on obs tower pond
Siskin - one east
alba Wagtail - 11 north
Buzzard - 1




Outfalls (Heysham 2 back on and attracting birds)
Med Gull - 3CY
Common Gull - c60




North Harbour Wall
a) Feeder area:
Twite - 8
Linnet - 6
Goldfinch - 1
Robin - 1
Pied Wagtail - 2
b) Mound:
Chiffchaff - 1
Linnet - 2
c) Wooden Jetty:
Collared Dove 2
d) Channels:
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Great-crested Grebe - 3
Red-throated Diver - 1
Eider - 240
e) Vis
Meadow Pipit - 13 (obviously many more but flying very high in clear weather)
Whooper Swan - 34 on sea gradually moving north. First seen at 0645
Mute Swan - 3 closer inshore then flew NE
alba wagtail - 3
Redpoll sp - 1
Carrion Crow - 3 singletons heading north across Bay
Goldfinch - 2 (may have been going to feeder)
Greenfinch - 1
Reed Bunting - 1

Sandwich Tern - 2
Pink-footed Goose - 43 north
Ocean Edge
Wheatear - 2 in afternoon



Eastern boundary
Green Sandpiper - one
Greylag - 2 pairs




Middleton NR
Distinct absence of Coot in the area at the moment with only four seen
Scaup - 2CY male
Tufted Duck - 9
Gadwall - 4
Teal - 2
Mallard - 1
Grey Wagtail - one
Chiffchaff - 3
Moorhen - 1
Meadow Pipit - 50 in an hour in afternoon




Moths
Included Emmelina monodactyla

Decent selection but hardly qualifying as migration

Heysham Obs
Bits and bobs around today, the main thing being the 'reawakening' of Heysham One outfall after a long birdless spell on both outfalls

Coastal
Eider - 240
Little Gull - 2CY Heysham one
Med Gull - superb summer plumaged 3CY as above
Common Gull - 50-55 as above
Guillemot  - 2 harbour
Kittiwake - one ad harbour
Meadow Pipit - at least 15 north
Twite - at least 7
Linnet - 19
Wheatear - 2CY male Red Nab

Reserve
Siskin - 2

Middleton model boat pond
Scaup - 2CY male
Tufted Duck - 8
Gadwall - 4
Little Egret - 1
Lapwing - 1

Horrible Hail!

Heysham N Harbour Wall

Birds at feeding area this morning were:
Linnet - 30
Twite - 2 both ringed
Goldfinch - 2
Dunnock - 1
Pied Wagtail - 1
Feral Pigeon - 3

ajd

Another wheatear and bits left in the harbour

Ocean Edge

1 female wheatear (near slipway)

 

Harbour

2 adult kittiwake

2 guillemot

 

Middleton NR

2 chiffchaff (together by Tim Butler - seen only)

6 adult + 6 juv mute

2 gadwall

7 teal

2 mallard

17 tufted

1 scaup

6 coot

1 moorhen

1 lapwing (think mute wars are a disturbance)

3 reed bunting

9 linnet

 

MD/JM